OPINION PIECE
The Exxon Valdez Spill--Fourteen Years Later
By Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director, People For Puget Sound
and Mike Doherty, Clallam County Commissioner
posted 03/24/03
Exactly fourteen years ago, at four minutes past midnight on March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez, loaded with 54 million gallons of North Slope crude oil, ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. Sadly, we in Washington State have still not completely learned the lessons of this disaster. Even now, the centerpiece of the state’s oil spill prevention program—a rescue tug at Neah Bay—has no dedicated source of funding.
After the Exxon Valdez ran aground, 11 million gallons of spilled oil stretched about 470 miles from Prince William Sound to the southern Kodiak Archipelago and Alaska Peninsula. In Prince William Sound, about 452 miles of shoreline was oiled. In the Kenai Peninsula-Kodiak region, more than 1,000 miles of shoreline were oiled.
The Exxon Valdez suffered damage of about $25 million; $3.4 million in oil was lost; and Exxon spent over $2.1 billion for clean-up activities and reimbursements up through 1991.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the probable cause of the grounding was crew fatigue and excessive workload, Captain Joseph Hazelwood's impairment from alcohol, and lack of an effective vessel traffic safety system. After the disaster, Prince William Sound required tanker escorts, stand-by rescue tugs, and restrictions on vessel transits when the weather got too rough.
One simple lesson of the Exxon Valdez was that it took only one human's error to devastate an ecosystem.
The other lesson—that prevention is a lot cheaper than cleanup—is a no-brainer here in Washington state. One of the busiest marine highways in the world, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound bustle with oil tankers and huge cargo ships—an average of 6000 trips per year. Every tanker’s cargo and every ship’s fuel supply represents a potential spill at least as devastating as the Exxon Valdez.
Good progress toward marine safety was made here immediately following the Valdez spill--we secured tug escorts for oil tankers entering the North Sound once they pass Port Angeles on their way to refineries at Anacortes and Cherry Point. But the 75 miles of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Pacific Ocean to Port Angeles, and the waters of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, remained unprotected until recently.
Since 1999, we’ve been able to station a rescue tugboat in the winter months at Neah Bay, right near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A ship that loses power or steering can now be towed or pushed to safety, keeping it off the rocks and its cargo and fuel on board rather than in the water. Especially during the 2001-2002 season, the tug really showed her stuff, coming to the rescue eight times. She has proven indispensable for assistance as far away as Southwest Washington near the mouth of the Columbia River, and all the way into the eastern part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
But today, as we &auot;celebrate&auot; yet another anniversary of the Exxon Valdez spill, there is still no permanent funding to keep it the rescue tug on call. The State of Washington, thanks to support from the Governor and key legislators, has come up with partial funding, but the tug has been funded only 200 days per year, and each budget process has been a fight to the finish. Senator Patty Murray has come up with one-time federal dollars to augment state funding, but whether the Coast Guard will use the money for the tug is uncertain, and whether the money will be used to secure more tug coverage or just to supplant state dollars is also unclear.
The Governor, local governments, Indian tribes, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee, People For Puget Sound and citizens all over the region have thrown their support behind permanent, year-round funding for the rescue tug at Neah Bay. No more study is needed—there is a pile of 17 studies spanning more than a decade, not to mention the tug’s track record of 22 rescues and assists.
It’s time to make the tug permanent. It’s time to move on to some of the other ways we need to improve oil spill prevention in the Sound and Straits.
A permanent rescue tug is just plain common sense—all year long, every year. Captain Hazelwood didn’t drink only in the winter, and engine trouble can happen anytime. A mistake or mechanical failure could be a minor inconvenience if a tug is at hand. Or, without a tug, it could be the death knell for the Orca whales and the rest of our fragile marine environment. Which do you choose?
For more information, visit or call People For Puget Sound at 206.382.7007.
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